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Board approves deck and stair adjustments at 152 High Drive after neighbor agreement
Summary
The Design Review Board approved modifications to elevated decks, guardrails and stairs at 152 High Drive, requiring the upper stairs to be relocated 4 feet inward and plantings to be maintained at a capped height to provide screening; the action regularizes work that had proceeded without permits.
The Laguna Beach Design Review Board on May 8 approved a code-enforcement design review at 152 High Drive that resolves disputes over elevated decks and stair placement by conditioning approval on changes negotiated between the applicant and an adjacent neighbor.
Staff described the item as a code-enforcement matter involving decks and stairs constructed without permits and said the applicant and neighbor had reached an agreement. Daniel Latham, stepping in for the project planner, said staff recommended approval.
Applicant representative Steve Kawaratani described the agreed changes for the board: the existing stairway will be moved roughly four feet inward away from the property line, the upper landing will be removed so the deck is straighter, and landscaping will be added to provide privacy. Neighbor Lance Polster, speaking for next-door resident Inez Frazier, told the board the parties had negotiated the stair relocation and plantings and that the neighbors wanted the future plantings capped so they would not exceed the agreed height.
The motion adopted by the board (Resolution 25-034) approves Design Review 25-034 for the elevated decks, guardrails and stairs in the R-2 zone, with conditions that the applicant submit revised plans showing the stair relocation, that specified plantings (noted on the May 8 plan) be installed and maintained at no more than 6½ feet, and that handrails be brought to code. The board recorded a unanimous vote.
Members discussed a trellis or lattice feature that had been installed and noted that the trellis work was not part of the application; the neighbor and applicant said they would try a landscape solution and presented May 8 plan graphics as the basis for the condition. The board asked the applicant to submit a clean set of revised plans for the city file before the building-permit stage.
The approval brings the property into compliance while incorporating neighbor-agreed revisions intended to increase privacy and improve safety by bringing stair construction up to code.
